BS BULLETIN:
- Simon Andriesz, the banker who highlighted Howard Lutnick’s Epstein connections, died September 23 at 57, according to The Banker.
- Britain’s financial regulator is reviewing its treatment of him; lawmakers want an independent inquiry.
- Lutnick denies wrongdoing. No evidence of foul play in Andriesz’s death has been established.
Britain’s financial watchdog is now examining how it treated Simon Andriesz, the whistleblower who raised questions about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The review follows Andriesz’s death — and lawmakers are already questioning whether the regulator should be investigating itself.
A bureaucracy reviewing its own performance. Well, that ought to be a real nail-biter.
Andriesz, 57, was a former managing director at BGC Group, where Lutnick had served as chief executive. The Banker reported that he died by suicide on September 23. Transparency Task Force founder Andy Agathangelou confirmed his death, describing him as “a valued member of our community.”
His work had put uncomfortable questions back on the table. Searching the released Epstein files, Andriesz uncovered emails discussing Adfin, a digital advertising company in which both Epstein and Lutnick had invested. The correspondence extended into 2018, years after Lutnick’s previously described break with Epstein.
Andriesz told the BBC that his findings had received little attention: “I’m exposing Howard Lutnick’s relationship, financial links, with Jeffrey Epstein, and there’s no interest.” Mediaite included that account in its reporting on his death.
Lutnick disputes the characterization of a business relationship. According to Forbes’ account of his congressional interview, he said he did not know Epstein was also an Adfin investor until the files became public. He has acknowledged visiting Epstein’s island with his family in 2012, while denying knowledge of abuse or involvement in wrongdoing. Association with Epstein does not establish participation in his crimes.
The scrutiny now also reaches Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Times reports that the regulator apologized after incorrectly advising Andriesz about his whistleblower protection. Its internal review faces demands from a cross-party parliamentary group for an outside investigation.
Those lawmakers warned against letting the FCA “mark its own homework.” BGC, meanwhile, says it has “long disputed Mr Andriesz’s allegations.”
MY QUICK TAKE:
Folks, a man is dead, and his family deserves dignity. I’m not going to turn that tragedy into a conspiracy script. The reporting has established no evidence of foul play.
But the documented questions deserve answers. What did the emails show? How does Lutnick reconcile the later contact with his earlier account? And did the institutions responsible for handling this whistleblower’s concerns do their jobs?
I support President Trump. That doesn’t require me to switch off my curiosity when a cabinet secretary has explaining to do.
And a regulator investigating itself? Please. If Washington and London could power their cities with promises to “learn lessons,” nobody would ever pay another electric bill.
Give us the records, a credible independent review and straight answers. The public has already had its lifetime supply of carefully worded statements.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite: Whistleblower who outed Howard Lutnick’s Epstein ties dies
- The Banker: Andriesz’s death and background
- Financial Times: FCA review and demands for an independent inquiry
- Forbes: Email findings, Lutnick’s response and known circumstances
- The Guardian: Parliamentary and BGC reactions
- House Oversight Committee: Lutnick interview transcript
